DEVIL’S CREEK follows the events that unfolded outside of Stauford, Kentucky in 1983. Involving a cult, Lord’s Church of Holy Voices, led by Father Jacob, and the effects it would have on the town and its occupants years later.

Father Jacob believes Christians have been following a false God after he hears a voice call to him from below and starts teaching about blood sacrifices, rape, and suffering. The only way to please and be saved by this new god is by suffering. His followers take his teachings to heart and start giving themselves fully to him. But not everyone is fooled. Enter one of my favorite characters from the book, Imogene Tremly. She is one badass character. She leaves no stone unturned to rescue her grandson and five other kids that are about to be sacrificed. These kids will be known as the “Stauford Six”, and their lives growing up will be full of torture and ridicule.

30 years later and all grown these six individuals will come face to face with the nightmares of their childhood. It all begins with Imogene’s death, which forces her grandson, Jack, to return to the town that he fled from many years ago. He has some business to take care of concerning his grandmother’s will and house. This catapults him into some secrets Imogene was keeping regarding Father Jacob and a fun little idol, that I'm sure would haunt my dreams if I saw it with my own eyes.

This novel is dark and creepy. It is what nightmares are made of. It had me scrunching my face in disgust, not only for the vile acts Jacob and his congregation partook in but also for the nasty descriptions held throughout. With that being said, the writing is so good and flows so easily that it’s hard to take your eyes off the pages, disgust and all. Another aspect I truly loved was the small town, bible belt atmosphere. It’s something that I really enjoy and that brings that extra oomph to a horror novel for me.

I am fascinated by cults and cultish behavior. I watch a lot of documentaries about them, read true crime novels about infamous cult leaders and enjoy learning about the secret practices of cults. Naturally, Cult Horror is a favorite, fictional sub-genre but it can be hit or miss with me. I feel like a lot of authors want to spend time on the sensational aspects without doing the leg work developing the practical mechanics of a believable cult.In order for me to buy in, I need a charismatic leader capable of convincing seemingly normal people to do outlandish acts of service.Todd Keisling’s Devil’s Creek is the perfect example of quality cult horror. Let me unpack it for you, as always, I’ll be mindful of spoilers.In the tradition of books like Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, Keisling lays down important, historical groundwork for the setting of his epic cult tale.

Stauford, Kentucky is a fictional small town haunted by the legend Jacob Masters’ death cult, The Lord’s Church of Holy Voices. Keisling spends quality time peeling back the layers of this seemingly quaint town in order to reveal the dark, insidious roots below. Prepare to settle in with Devil’s Creek and enjoy the ride. This isn’t the kind of book that makes for casual or light reading. Todd Keisling sets early expectations for the rest of this book by the way he sets everything up in the beginning. He takes you back in time to 1983 so that when the reader arrives in the modern day narrative, you carry with you more truth than most of the townspeople have.This is a sprawling story with a large cast of characters. In order to help readers identify important, generational players, Keisling graciously calls people by their first and last names. (Mother Horror Pro Tip: Pay attention to the last names and keep a mental note of the Stauford Six.)

Over the course of the novel, a few main protagonists emerge: Imogene Tremly and her grandson Jack are the ones I connected to emotionally. Keisling does an amazing job giving life and personality to the people on these pages. This helps the reader become invested in their motivations and purpose. I find this to be so important because Devil’s Creek deals with extremely dark subject matter. Plenty of potential triggers abound so proceed with caution if you’re a sensitive reader. Not to mention this is scary shit. I read a lot of horror; it takes a lot of originality for something to get under my skin in a unique or new way. This book got to me more than once. I’d say at least several times I felt the blood cool in my veins.

The book which is doled out in 5 parts, readers can expect to witness graphically detailed accounts of cult practices lead by a murderous, sexual deviant. Some of it is pretty difficult to stomach.

At no point in this novel did I feel as though I was enduring the depravity needlessly. Keisling’s story development is clearly given top priority. Suffering through explicit scenes felt necessary instead of exploitive or gratuitous. I trusted Keisling to bring me through the muck and the mire to get me to the other side and I was only too eager to get there. There is a compelling almost compulsive nature to this story where I felt as if I had to know how this was all going to end. It has to be said that calling this Keisling’s magnum opus is accurate. He takes a small, dark cult of maybe twenty to fifty people and blows it up into a full-blown cosmic horror novel over the span of four hundred pages or so; impressive as hell to say the least. I don’t believe any word was wasted, no detail was left out or ignored, and every character was given a reason to exist on the page. I never experienced a dull moment. Definitely will make my Best of 2020 list at the end of this year.

Let me get this out of the way immediately. Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling is the best book that Silver Shamrock has published in their short, but very productive time in the publishing business. If you know me then you know I love this publisher, so for me to tell you it’s the best book they’ve put out, that’s saying something.

Jack Tremly returns to Stauford, KY to settle his dead grandmother's estate. Jack is one of the Stauford Six, the child survivors of a cult from the ’80s. He and his siblings aren’t yet aware, but they will soon be settling more than Imogene Tremly’s estate.

With Devil’s Creek, Keisling has painstakingly crafted his Magnum Opus. As the author's notes mention, this book is over a decade in the making. This is the author's take on a few different tropes. It’s equal parts small town, cult, and cosmic horror and it’s a blend that works exceptionally well. Keisling takes great lengths to build Stauford the town as a character and his efforts shine through, as Stauford is equally as important as the Stauford Six.

The human characters are well written also. I had a blast following Jack and his siblings and was enthralled to learn about both their past and their present. Jack, Riley, and Stephanie were all likable characters.

What good are well-developed characters without well-developed antagonists? Jacob Masters, his god, and the town of Stauford all combine to make a hellacious force of evil for our heroes to go up against. Stauford is a town with ugly secrets, and Jacob is a man with ugly intent, to put it lightly.

The writing in the pages is excellent, Keisling makes weaving past, present, and numerous characters seem like child’s play. He perfectly encapsulates this story in a genuinely creepy atmosphere. The horrors are described well enough to make you cringe when you visualize them. Along with the world and character building, Keisling doesn’t slouch on the more aggressive elements of horror. There’s much to love here. I was satisfied throughout the book, beginning, middle, and end.

Devil’s Creek is a special book. Not only do I consider it right up there with Salem’s Lot, in terms of best small town horror, but I would go a step further and say that Devil’s Creek is one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read.